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Sep 14, 2011 Web Exclusive By Kyle Lemmon

Green Lantern #1 picks up right where Geoff Johns left off, in the wake of his War of the Green Lanterns story arc. This bestselling title isn’t being rebooted because of “The New 52.” It gets a conceptual reboot, though. In this issue, Hal Jordan is left without a ring or sector to protect and his longtime nemesis, Sinestro, has been re-selected as a Lantern. It’s a strange twist of fate, but Johns makes it work on an emotional level. As far as action goes, this issue is all building blocks and little to no deconstruction.

Doug Mahnke’s clean pencils are just fine. His background details are much better. Nothing flashy overall. Christian Alamy and Tom Nguyen’s inks are better, but largely in the same boat. David Baron’s bold colors are a pleasure to soak in throughout. This is a bifurcated issue that sometimes reads like it. We follow Hal Jordan on Earth. He’s behind on his rent, striking out on a date with Carol Ferris (formerely Star Sapphire), and getting thrown in jail after trying to play hero. Sinestro is also experiencing some growing pains in his new post as a Green Lantern. The end of the issue sets him up against the Sinestro Corps. (It also looks like the Sinestro Corps will have to mull over a name change.) Shaky agreements and truces will be made between Sinestro and Jordan, despite a long history of bad blood.

That’s a real promise for nail-biting drama. Sadly, issue one is a run-of-the-mill GL tale that merely points towards some interesting tales to be told later on this year. Stick around long enough and you’ll get A+ storytelling from Johns. For the time being, this episode barely passes on charm. It won’t be remembered once you get your hands on this month’s other “New 52” books. (www.geoffjohns.com / www.dcu.blog.dccomics.com/new-52-green-lantern)

Author rating: 5/10